Forever Is a Strong Word
by StarShadow1230
Summary: When both Cato and Clove, the secret District 2 couple, are chosen for the Hunger Games, they must face the ultimate question: Riches and fame, or death for their love?
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

"**Forever" Is A Strong Word**

**I threw a knife directed at the center of the target, painted onto a bale of hay. It hit the target, dead center. **

"**Dude!" You're 50 yards away from that thing!" a familiar, beautiful voice rang out from the woods. "Cato!" I yelled out. I searched the familiar lush, green forest, looking for a streak of blonde, or a flash or brown. I thought I saw a dark brown color flash by at the edge of my gaze when someone tapped me from behind. **

"**GOTCHA!" he cried. "Nah, you kinda didn't. I saw you flash by." Cato was wearing a dark shirt and jeans. I had my hair braided down in one braid over my shoulder, and I had a knife in one hand, and tomato juice spilled over my shirt (blame Mom for making me cook) and I was wearing an old shirt and jeans with lots of rips and holes. Not a good image to show to my boyfriend when we haven't seen each other in a week. "So, you excited?" Cato asked me, sitting down on our stone (of course) bench while pulling down an apple from a tree. "Duh! I'm FINALLY 18 and I HAVE to get chosen." I said. **

"**And why is that?" Cato asked me with a smile on his face and with fake modesty. I pretended to look nonchalant and shrugged. "Because my hay is about to fall apart." He looked over at the hay and true to my word, it had completely fallen out of place, my knife still dead center. You see, the Reaping is today. And I woke up a bit early to train. Cato had gone for a week to a special training camp in which apparently, girls aren't allowed. Cato opened his mouth to say something when my mom called for me to start getting ready. I blushed and was about to tell him 'sorry' when he waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I better get going anyway." I smiled. **

"**See you at the Reaping." I said with a smile as he left. He turned around with a smile, bowed down, and kissed my hand. "And may the odds be **_**ever **_**in your favor." He replied. And then he walked away. I sighed. **

"**CLOVER ALEXANDRA RIVERS! Get ready this instant; I've already drawn a bath. "my mom cried out. I rolled my eyes. I hated it when she called me by my full name. "Yes, mother!" I rolled my eyes as I slowly trudged towards home. **

** My hair was in one high ponytail with several other ponytails every 2 or 3 inches down my back. I was in a frilly (blegh!) dress that was laced at the bottom but tight at the top. My mom brought out some black flats and I was off to go.**

** "Clover, be careful on the way, don't get yourself dirty. We'll be leaving shortly after you. You'll find us at the front line at the ropes, and seriously, be careful with th-" "Okay, gotta go, Mom, byee!" I interrupted. "And by the way, Mom!" I yelled as I ran out the front door. "THE NAME'S CLOVE!" I laughed to myself as I walked through the forest and made it to where the Reaping was held. Every year, Cato and I would meet up at this pretty tree with leaves that had the shape of a maple leaf, but they were silver, with gold at the edges. I knew he'd be there, and I also knew that I would be first. I started sprinting towards the familiar tree, not really caring what my mom had said. I'm a knife thrower. She's a cook. Wow, if we were got in a fight, I WONDER who would win, knife thrower or a chef? Hmmm, I SERIOUSLY wonder. Anyway, I was about 20 yards away from the tree, and to my surprise, he was already there. I laughed to myself as I spotted him looking for someone, probably me. I smiled and moved with the crowd, blending in. I made my way to the back of the tree and crept up slowly on him. I pulled out my emergency knife disguised as a hairpin and crept up slowly. Silently and quickly, I held it to his throat and whispered in his ear, "Miss me?" He whipped around, pure alarm on his face when he saw me. "CLOVE! You scared me to death, darn you." I laughed as I still held my knife to his neck, sliding it around in the air close to his neck, mockingly. I gasped as he twirled me around and pinned me to the tree. I was fast, but he was strong. I laughed as he smiled and set me down. "All right, enough of this. We need to be identified and take our places." All of a sudden, things grew quiet. I knew we were both thinking the same things: 1)**_**What if we're both chosen? There can be only one winner. 2) What if one of us is chosen and dies? **_

** "Don't worry," he said as he pressed his forehead to mine, making us close. Even though we were dating, nobody was supposed to know. They might tease us, or think we're soft. And it's a better show. We even have fake-fighting moves. "We'll be together, no matter what. Together forever." Cato promised. "Forever is a strong word, Cato. Don't make promises you can't keep." I replied, my heart heavy. "You know me too well, Clover, to not know that I don't make promises I can't keep." And then, in the safe shelter of the tree, (since we were pressed up against the trunk, all people would basically see is a trunk) we kissed. For the first in two weeks, for what may the last time in our lives with each other. We kissed. He broke away first, saying that we should sign in. I tried to smile, a tear streaking down. He brushed it away for me. "It'll be okay." He said. I smiled, and we broke away. I walked over to the identification place thingy and signed in. **

** "Miss Rivers, you're late." The Peacekeeper said. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Whatever." I left and joined the other girls. I desperately searched the boys' crowd to find Cato. He was taller than most boys, so I should be able to find him. And there he was. I waved hi sadly and he smiled back, mouthing "It'll be okay." I smiled back, just as the "oh-so-special" video from the Capitol ended. Aurelia, our tribute selector, smiled, and said (as usual), "Ladies first!" She dug around, and picked a slip of paper. She picked it up about 3 inches, then maybe thought better, dropped it, and pulled one out from the bottom. I held my breath, probably as everybody else. She opened it up, and said three words. **

** "CLOVER ALEXANDRA RIVERS!" I let out my breath, my eyes wide open with shock. It was me. Me. I wildly searched for Cato and founded him cheering the loudest among everyone else, yelling out my name.**

** "Clove! Clove! Clove! Clove!" he yelled. I walked up to the stage where Aurelia was and she welcomed me. "Boys!" she called out. The whole area grew quiet. She reached in, and pulled one out from the top. I was crossing my fingers, and praying. **_**Oh please, Dear God, please don't let it be-**_

**"CATO HUNTER!" Aurelia spoke into the microphone with a smile and a bubbly attitude. His jaw dropped and his eyes were filled with alarm and shock. Only one thought crossed my mind.**

_**How am I supposed to kill my **__**boyfriend**__**?**_

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__**Hi, everyone! This is my first story, and I am really new here. I have ALWAYS wanted to be an author, but I don't know how I'll do. I guess you guys will help me out on this one! Thanks! I'll try my best to update every week, and I hope you like it! By the way, sorry for the mini-cliffhanger!**


	2. Chapter 2:Together

**Hi everyone! Well, this is Chapter 2. I REALLY like reviews. You wouldn't know how long I was bouncing on my bed for one good review. So, again, please read and review! Thanks!**

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"**CATO HUNTER!" the sound still rang in my ears. I sat in the room of District 2's City Hall, waiting for my mom, my dad, or ANYONE, to show up. They never did. My mom promised that she'd be here, why isn't she? But then again, I promised I wouldn't get my dress dirty, and look at me now. Two Peacekeepers walked in about 10 minutes later and ushered me out into the fast-subway-like thingy that would take us to the Capitol. Unfortunately, Cato and I wouldn't have much private time on it because we were 2****nd**** closest to the Capitol, unlike District 12 or 11. And since we have SO many winners, we get to choose our mentors, isn't that awesome? So I boarded on, and not to my surprise, Cato wasn't there. But Aurelia was. She motioned for me to sit down. So I did. In front of me, on the table, was a SERIOUSLY big feast. I mean, yeah, we get fed better in District 2 (better than 12 or 11, duh!) but not by a lot. And this, roasted turkey, lamb stew with something purple in it, potatoes, fruit compotes, and more, wasn't really what we get every day in 2. Aurelia opened her mouth to speak jut as the door opened, Cato standing there. It took all of my will not to run up to him and hug or kiss him. He sat down next to me, pulling my hand towards his under the table. **

"**Well, now that we have full company, let us begin our feast." She smiled. "The mentors should be coming in a bit." I started out with the lamb stew. Not what I had in mind, but still awesome. Then I tried this seriously red compote that must have been made with pomegranates or something. Cato laughed at me, saying that my mouth was red. "Oh yeah? YOU have bits or spinach in your mouth. I thought you didn't even EAT spinach!" I retorted. And then we fought for which one was going to have first claim of the turkey. I raised the sharpest knife over the turkey, while he had another knife in his hand, just as the door opened. A stream of mentors filed in, separating into 2 lines of girls and boys, smallest to tallest. Great. Another bad image. My mouth is red and I'm holding a knife over a turkey, and Cato has a knife pointed at my stomach. Talk about awkward. We dropped them immediately and started talking in a huddle. **

"**We should say sorry first, and then announce who we choose." I said. Cato nodded back. **

"**Who're we choosing?" Cato asked. I shrugged. Everyone on the boys side just looked downright grizzly, and would probably just tell us to go out there and kill or be killed. I wanted strength, but brains, too. I looked on the girls' side. There was a girl in the middle, maybe a bit older than me, who not only looked strong, but had a hardened, wise look in her eyes. **

"**Hey, look at the girl at about the middle, dark brown hair and green eyes?" I told Cato. He was hesitant at first but we decided on her. Aurelia nodded at us. **

"**Xova, come." She called. Xova. Hmm. Cool name. Xova smiled at us as the rest of the mentors walked out. **

"**So what are some strategic ideas?" Cato asked first. Xova smiled. "Last year, when we got separated because it was down to the final four, I had this idea to hide out in a tree. Literally. I carved out a door, and just walked inside. Turns out it was hollow inside anyway." She said. While she had Cato's attention, I pulled out my hairpin. I knew which question she'd ask next. She turned to Cato.**

"**What's your specialty?" she asked. "Uh, sword?" Cato replied. It sounded more like a question than an answer. She nodded firmly. She turned to me. "And how about you?" I smiled. First, I got a glob of jam and smeared it into a circle dead center on the turkey. I walked back as far away as I could, and I took out my pin, focused in on it, and threw my knife. Xova stared at me as I pulled out my knife, smack in the middle of the jelly. I rolled my eyes.**

"**Oh, please, like that was anything. I can throw it on that glob from 15 yards away." I said. She nodded in approval just as the train started slowing down. I ran to the window and looked outside. Thousands of Capitol people were crowded outside, waiting to catch a glimpse. I looked at Xova for approval.**

"**Make them like you, but be deadly at the same time." Was all she said. So I held up my knife and drew it back, and smiled an evil-like smile. Cato joined me, holding up a fist and smiling. Most of them went crazy. All of a sudden all we saw was black. **

"**We're entering the Training Center." Xova said. I jumped up and down with joy, Cato just standing there. But still, I could tell that he was happy, too. Just then, the train stopped completely and the door slid open. We were blinded by a bright light. **

"**Well, this is the official start." Cato smiled at me, with warmth in his voice. **

"**I guess it is." I replied back, while he reached for my hand. I smiled and put my hand in his. **

"**But we're going to do this." **

"**Together."**

"**Forever." Was the last thing we said as we walked into the light. **


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

** "OW!" I screamed as the prep team standing above me stripped away a layer of wax. They glared at me, their silent way of telling me to shut up. "Well, **_**that **_**hurt." I muttered, granting me another 'shut up' glare. Thankfully, it was all over in about 20 minutes. I sat alone in a room, wearing a skimpy outfit. My skin probably glowed like a polished floor. It disgusted me. In District 2, the dirtier you were, the more you had worked, so it was a symbol of pride. I especially had the right to be proud because I was the toughest worker. Just then, the door opened. And a DUDE walked in. Yes. A MALE. He had a black cape and a flowing black shirt with sparkling black pants and gold shoes. And don't get me started on the makeup. Why couldn't I have a stylist like District 12's? I heard they got a new one this year, and we saw him on TV. Complete black clothes, dark skinned, and the only makeup he had on was some gold eyeliner. I mean, like…wow. That's hard for someone that lives in the Capitol. Anyway, my stylist introduced himself as Alovera (pronounced uh-lah-veh-ruh). Once he told me the concept of the Parade costumes, I decided he wasn't a complete wacko. Basically, it was a Roman/Greek God(Cato)/Goddess(me, duh!) concept. It was a simple gold helmet with wings on the sides, and a feather-shaped thingy surrounding our chests, on top of this golden armor we wore, with these metallic pants for Cato, and me having a golden skirt with a silver fishnet stocking on the bottom. It was awesome. Like, pure awesomeness. We would get started in the morning. For now…dinner.**

** "I swear, Aurelia, this is like, the BEST roast duck EVER." Cato said while munching into a duck bone. Grease dribbled out onto his fingers. I usually LOVE duck, but for some weird reason, tonight it was making me sick to my stomach. "Hey, Clover, try one." Cato pushed a piece towards me. **

** "Mmmmphhh!" I made a weird sound as I slapped a hand over my mouth and bolted out, headed for the bathroom. I threw up into the toilet and dry heaved as more came out. Cato came in a moment later, rubbing my back and holding my hair. **

** "Hey, Clover, you okay?" Cato asked me when I was done. I nodded. **

** "Hey." I said. "What?" Cato asked gently. I punched him in the stomach. "What was that for?!" he groaned. I smiled. "Never call me Clover. ****Nobody**** gets away with calling me Clover twice in a row." I said. Cato said nothing and just lifted me up. He carried me all the way to my bedroom and set me down. **

** "Hey." He said. "What?" "I love you." "Yeah, I kinda know that." When I said that, he smiled. Then he tucked me in, turned the lights out, and left. The instant I closed my eyes, I fell asleep. **

_**I should start being cruel to him now. Maybe we'll be parted enough so when I die, it won't be as hard for him or me. Or maybe I should spend my moments alive the best moments with him. **_**Those were the first thoughts when I woke up. This was it. This was the official start of everything. And I wasn't sure if I would be strong enough to face it.**

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**Hi guys! Sorry for the short chapter, but I REALLY didn't want to end it somewhere during the Parade, because I got some ideas for that...heeheehee...SO! What up with Clove's puking? PLEASE review for me...PLEEEEZE! Thanks! **


	4. Chapter 4: For 12

** I fought the urge not to hold Cato's hand. We were standing ****so ****close to each other, I just couldn't help it. I "accidentally" brushed his hand with my finger. But nobody seemed to notice except for him. He just looked over and smiled at me. **

** "AND HERE COMES DISTRICT 1!" Caesar Flickerman loudly announced just outside. "Okay, be tough, be pleasant, and be deadly." Alovera quickly explained. He probably meant for Cato to be tough and for me to be deadly, and I have no idea where the "pleasant" part goes. "AND NOW FOR DISTRICT 2!" was the last thing we heard before the chariot took off. As soon as we moved, Cato started doing a beauty-pageant wave. I fought the first signs of a laugh and just smiled instead. "Cut it out!" I hissed. He laughed and changed into a regular wave. I started waving, too. Someone threw a rose at me. But me, with my awesome throwing-knife senses, caught it with my mouth. The crowd went wild. But for some weird reason, it wasn't directed at me. You could just feel it. I whipped around to see whose attention they were catching, and Holy Capitol… District 12 was on fire. Like, LITERALLY. They had sleek black clothes and were on FIRE. And whaddaya know?! They were holding hands and they lifted it up into the air. Dumb-os. They're EN-E-MIES! Remember? I always thought 12 was a little slow. I looked at the other Victors districts (in 12, they call us Careers. What kind of a dumb name is that?!). Over at 1, there was a tall dude that looked average. Probably does well with a spear or something. And that blondie from 1? Sure, she's pretty. There's some sponsors. But she looks like she doesn't even know how to pull up a zipper. Seriously. I looked over at 4, and there's this puny kid. A KID. Why didn't anyone else older volunteer? And I look over at the girl. I think her name was Phoenix or something. I've heard them talk. She's pretty handy at making nets. **

** And now for a "special talk" from President Snow, blah, blah, blah. Whatever. And then we went in. Wow. It was WAY more boring than I thought. When Alovera and Cato's stylist Cynthia were talking to us, I saw Cato staring at 12 with a hard look in his eyes. 12 looked over and was smart enough to leave. Cato turned back. Alovera and Cynthia instructed us to wash up and show up for dinner. Tomorrow was the first day of training. **

** I scrubbed off all the gold glitter on my body and rubbed at my face to get the blush off, although I did like the gold eyeliner. Kinda. Dinner was meh. We already got used to Capitol standards. I had like, 4 bites and I got this nauseated feeling. I told them I was just tired and I left. There was a weight thingy in the corner of my room. Really. I think that's like, a silent complaint or something. I stepped on it. It stopped at 115. Wow. I haven't even eaten anything and I've gained 5 pounds. What's up with that? And on top of that, I fell asleep when my head with the pillow. I usually think for like, 20 minutes and then fall asleep. Seriously weird. I'm thinking about asking Aurelia if the food is like, drugged or something. I'm serious. **

** The Training Center was awesome. I mean, it had like, over 50 different types of throwing knives. But first…watching. We always watch the other tributes and see if there's any other tribute good enough to be in our group. They might join. If they join and they're not that useful…Well, all I can say is cannon time. I stood next to Cato with my arms crossed. We were all watching the guy from 12. He fell from the training ropes. Pathetic. And then the girl from 12 (I never learned her name. Stupid, huh?) walked up to him and told him something. The guy looked over at us and turned away again. She whispered one last thing and left. He looked at us. We all kinda laughed. He got up and slowly started to walk over to the medicine balls. And now he had our attention. He picked one up, and it crashed down. We all laughed. He glared at us, picked it up, and BLAM! He threw it at a pedestal holding some weapons. My weapons. I'm going to kill him for that. **

** We were all lining up to throw some knives. Sweet. It was by order of District. Marvel, the guy from 1, went first. He was okay. I guess I was right about the spear thing. But Glimmer, the girl, missed by like, a hundred miles. See? I was right there, too. Cato was next, and was kinda okay. Like Marvel. Atala nodded at me to go. I smiled. I picked up 4 knives and waited. Waited for a light to go on. A light went on to my right. I threw the knife without hesitation. It landed in the middle of the middle. Another one to my left. One to my middle. And then I side-threw one (to land again in the middle of the middle) so it could wedge into the target behind the middle target. I walked slowly to the back of the line. The girl from 12 was watching me. **_**That was for you, 12. That was for you.**_

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**Hi guys****! I really hoped you liked it. Thanks to all of you who subscribed and would get a message when I updated. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I got 2 reviews so far, please write some more. I'm aiming for like, 5 reviews by Chapter 7. So PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: How?

**This was probably the most disgusting moment of my life. First I got waxed, then I was bathed by OTHER PEOPLE, then I was oiled down, again, BY OTHER PEOPLE, and then they left me in a room. All in half an hour. Phew. And then Alovera walked in and held a seriously orange, seriously frilly dress. You want to know the truth? I hated it. Like, as much as an arachnophobic hates spiders. Yeah. That much.**

"**That's got to be the frilliest thing I've ever seen." I hissed.**

"**Well, you better get used to it, because you're wearing these in the interviews."**

"**No. No way, Jose. I can't stand the thought of being seen in that dress by ONE person. LET ALONE THE WHOLE OF PANEM!" I screamed. Alovera just shrugged. **_**Whatever. HEY! Maybe he's trying to make me look weak and then turn me into a killing machine in the arena! Nah, he's not smart enough for that. **_**I tried it on, and to my surprise, it was pretty comfy. It felt like I was wearing a cloud. Or feathers. Or the hair of my victims. Hee. I liked that last one. But I still hated it. **

"**Well, what do you think?" he asked.**

"**This has got to be the stupidest thing ever. LOOK AT ME! I'M THE SIZE OF THAT DUDE FROM 11!" I shouted. He sighed, pulled out some scissors, did something with the sleeves and skirt, and voila!...I still hated it. But still, it looked considerably better. Then he applied some gold and silver makeup to my face, dusted something all over me (probably some more glitter) and braided my hair. **

"**Done."**

"**The first successful shot I ever made was when I was 4. I threw it at a tree, where my dad used to practice. I hit it in the center." I said, smiling at Caesar. "After that, I just taught myself again and again. Usually, you go for the medium-weighted ones. The light ones can get thrown off by wind, the heavy ones do more damage, but you know, it's heavy. Average is best." I explained. **

"**I understand. And Miss Clover, if you won the Hunger Games, what would you do?" I wanted to say I would probably commit suicide because I didn't have Cato beside me, but you know, that's why they invented SECRET couples. So I said, "I would probably still keep training and enjoy the fame and such." Caesar nodded. **

**"Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Clover Rivers!" he said as he took my hand and lifted it up. I twirled and walked out. And then, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and then there was 12. Those people know how to make a show. A sappy, boring, cheesy romance show. The guy was totally like, "Oh, I LOVED someone since the day I've seen her in like, Elementary, but she's not noticing me! OH NO! Well how 'bout if I win? Well, OH NO again because…SHE CAME HERE WITH ME!" Puh-lease. I'm going to P-U-K-E. But the Capitol people loved it. Well, whatever. 12 only has 2 winners in like, 74 years, and one of them is dead, and the other a drunken slob. Again, PUH-LEASE. When it was all over, I went to my room and scrubbed everything off. Then I put on some comfy clothes and went over to the Training Center and practiced a bit. Tomorrow was individual sessions. I HAD to impress them I was shooting for a 9 and up. I had to. I practiced as much as I could before I just had a dizzy spell. It was weird. I never get dizzy spells. Just then, that wave of nausea just broke and I just crouched down, puking. It was really weird. I still blame the Capitol food. I'm SERIOUSLY going to talk with Snow about this. Well, if I get a chance. After I was done, I still felt sick so I just went up to my room. Tomorrow was individual sessions. I NEEDED to get a 9 and up. So be it.**

**THUMP! The blade of my last knife hit the center, dead middle. They dismissed me. I was pretty good, except for when this one time, I just got a sudden cramp in my stomach and my knife hit the area just outside the center. It took all my might not to scream at Seneca, "HEY, MISTER! TELL SNOW TO BE A LITTLE MORE CAREFUL ABOUT THE FOOD BECAUSE I CAN MAKE AN ACCIDENT LOOK PUR-RETTY REAL!". I'm dead serious.**

"**From District 1. Marvel; with a score of...-" yeah, yeah, I tuned out. Well, until he said District 2. **

"**Cato. With a score of…10." YAY! I jumped up and hugged him. But everyone else was watching. I just realized that. So then I punched him. I know, weird, but it was all I could think of. I ran back to my seat to see my score. **

"**Clove. With a score of…10." "OH MY GOSH, YAY!" I screamed. I jumped up and hugged Xova. And then I started crying. I have no idea why. It was super weird. "You okay?" Alovera asked me. I remember snapping at him, saying, "Of course, I am. Back off." And then I stormed upstairs. That was it. It was the final straw. I couldn't hold it anymore. I searched my mind, desperately. Could it be the flu? No, that couldn't explain the crying and mood swings. Was it a brain problem, or something? Nah, I'd probably feel pai-, wait. Am…am I…**_**pregnant?**_** The thought dawned on me. Puking and nausea, swings, cravings…that had to be it. I ordered an Avox to bring me 4 tests. She came back 10 minutes later with them. I read the instructions. I'm supposed to **_**pee**_** on it? That's sick. But I have to find out. I went inside my bathroom and did the process. Now I was supposed to wait a half hour. **

** I paced around my room. Time could not ever go more slowly. Okay, that was it. I went into the bathroom at like, 29 minutes and 40-something seconds. I scrambled to find the tests. **_**Oh my God.**_** This isn't happening. It can't be. On the test, was a little pink plus sign.**

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_**Dun. Dun. DUNNNN. **_**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been posting in a long time. I went back to school, and I'm in gifted, and yeah. LOTS of homework. So PLEASE Read and Review and subscribe. If you want anything to happen really badly, PM me. Or leave it in a comment. So what happened to Clove? Will she still win the HG? I'll try to update soon, thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 6: NO!

**_I paced around my room. Time could not ever go more slowly. Okay, that was it. I went into the bathroom at like, 29 minutes and 40-something seconds. I scrambled to find the tests. Oh my God. This isn't happening. It can't be. On the test, was a little pink plus sign._**

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I'm pregnant. P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T. Pregnant. How could this be? This can't be happening. This isn't happening. I must be dreaming. I am Clover Alexandra Rivers. I am going to WIN the Hunger Games. I am NOT supposed to be pregnant. I must be dreaming. I'm probably late for the Reaping. I have to wake up. I closed my eyes and pinched myself, REALLY hard. And I opened my eyes. Nothing had changed. Nothing. Except for a little blood that was dripping from the place I had pinched, nothing. Tomorrow we were going into the Arena. This can't be happening.

It can't.

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"What's this?" I asked. I swept my arm away before the Peacekeeper could inject something in my arm. "It's a tracker." she explained. She held out her hand. I put my arm in it. She stuck the needle in. It stung, and then a burning sensation flooded through me, and then that tracker just shocked me. Literally. But then it was over. She finished up everyone else, and the hovercraft went up. It was like, the motion sickness that was usual for me (because I was pregnant), plus the airplane motion sickness, and then multiplied by 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. I was so nauseated, I couldn't even think. I just closed my eyes, and told myself not to puke.

When we got there, I sat up, and then felt that huge wave of puke-y sensation again. I ran all the way to my Entering Room, one hand on my mouth, the other on my stomach, and threw up into the trash can. Alovera was there. When I was done, I looked up. He simply was looking at me.

"Well, whadda you want?"I snapped. He held his gaze. "When you get in there, you have to find shelter. Water and food will be your top priority in there." he said. "What are you, my mentor?" "I know, Clove. About..._this._" he pulled out a test from his pocket. I begged him not to tell anyone. He promised he wouldn't. And then this creepy voice told me I had 10 seconds left. I quickly put on my jacket, and I got in the thing. The last thing I saw was Alovera mouthing at me,"Good luck." I nodded. Then I turned around, and I was blinded by a bright white light. My eyes got used to it quickly. Then there was the countdown. Iy was already at 45. I quickly scanned the Cornucopia. Food, water, backpacks, weapons, bow and arrow, knives, spears, swords-wait a minute. KNIVES! They were all together in a stack. There HAD to be at least 100. There were more than I'd ever seen in my entire life! I looked over at the tributes. That boy from 4 was going to die. The girl? Eh, maybe she'll be useful. But we'll see. The girl from 1? I'm going to keep her alive for now. For NOW. The boy from 1 might be okay. I looked over at Cato. He looked perfect. His perfect muscles, his determined look in his eyes, his golden hair, the way his legs look when he's running... wait-running? I looked around and realized the Games had begun. CRACK! I just missed a good 10-second head start. I started running for the knives. I picked them up, and clipped them to the inner side of my jacket. I turned around and found a girl trying to take a big knife. _No. That's mine. _I got the ugliest knife I had (not wanting to waste a knife on a dumb girl like her) and threw it at her, knowing with certainty it would find it's target. And it did. She turned around the moment I let it fly (which was expected) and therefore it hit her dead center in the heart (also expected). She fell down immediately, dead. I picked up the knife she had, and threw it at her district partner. He fell down, too. Presumably dead. I whipped around, hearing signs of a struggle. I saw a boy fighting with a girl for an orange backpack. I whipped out a knife and flung it at him. It caught him square in the back of his neck. His head rolled back, and he fell forward. I saw the girl swing the backpack over her shoulder, and then she locked eyes with me. Her eyes filled with fear. I smiled. She turned around and ran pretty fast. I stumbled to keep up with her, but I got tired really quickly, which was weird because I could usually run miles before getting tired. Stupid baby. So I threw a knife at her. It was a great shot, considering both of us were running and it was a 70-yard shot. It was aimed straight at the side of her neck, but she was smarter than I had expected. She hiked her backpack up and blocked it. CRACK! I just missed AND gave her a knife! STUPID! But I turned around, surprised that most of the Tributes were dead. I saw a girl trying to take a set of knives. _No, girl. Those are mine, too. _I was always best when it came to scaring the heck out to people. I crept up on her, and put my knife to her throat.

"What exactly are you trying to do, taking my knives?" I asked. "NO! I-I-I-I'm sorry. P-p-p-p-please don't kill me." she sobbed.

"Here's what I'll do," I said in a sugar sweet voice. "I'll let you choose **one** knife. But you have to promise me you will never try to kill me, or convince anyone to kill me." I said. "Y-Y-Y-YES! Thank you! I-I-I-I promise!" she screamed.

"Well, then. Choose your knife." I smiled, my knife still to her throat. "That one." she pointed at the one that had the longest, sharpest blade. "Ah, that one? Such a shame. It was a pretty one. Too bad it has to be wasted on you." I whispered.

"P-p-p-please let me go now." she trembled. My smile faded. My voice changed to a more menacing one. "You said you wanted a knife. You never specified that you wanted to get out alive!" "NOO!" she screamed as I plunged the knife into her neck, and I released her. I smiled, and I turned around as I heard a gasp. I saw the boy from 4. I threw a knife without hesitance. I turned back to see where Cato was. He was fighting off a big guy, from 11, when I saw the boy from 9 coming from behind.

"CATO!" I screamed. But he didn't hear me. And it was too late.

* * *

**OMG, CLIFFHANGER! Oh, by the way guys, this story will have an ALTERNATE ending. It will NOT end like the Hunger Games. Heehee. That probably got your minds rolling, especially with this cliffhanger. So PLEASE review, and tell this story to your friends. I need to give some credit to zuritamupaka because some parts of my story sound very similar to hers. And I hope you guys like it! I may not be updating a lot, but I go to school, and it's VERY hard. So please, keep supporting me, and REVIEW! I'M GOING FOR 10 REVIEWS BY CHAPTER 8! And thank you to all of those who DID review, PLEASE keep doing so! Thank you! 3, DramaBlaze.**


	7. Author's Note: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!

O. ! 9 REVIEWS! 9 WHOLE AWESOME REVIEWS!I'm like, LITERALLY bouncing around while I type this. (My mom is staring at me like, What are you doing?" LOL) PLEASE PLEASE keep reviewing. I don't care if you use the same message over and over again, I just NEED reviews! You could say I live on reviews...teehee! PLEASE tell everyone about this. And when you do, PLEASE add that they should review, and they don't need an account to do so! And thanks to EVERYONE that reviewed. Thank you SO much. Words can't describe how happy I am thanks to you guys^^. Special thanks to:

~ X-Kookie-X

~ soccergal21

~ Glenda Unicorn

~ person

~ GoldenGirl007

~ ClatoFanTor212.

I absolutely LOVE all my fans, and I'm also including everyone that subscribes, and/or followed. THANKS! I hope you guys will continue to review and give all your support, because that's my fuel to keep posting! Once again, thanks, and I love you guys!

~3, DramaBlaze


	8. Chapter 7: Click

**_I turned back to see where Cato was. He was fighting off a big guy, from 11, when I saw the boy from 9 coming from behind._**

**_"CATO!" I screamed. But he didn't hear me. And it was too late._**

* * *

"CATO!" I screamed. But he didn't hear me. And it was too late. The boy from 9 stuck the dagger into his shoulder when Lover Boy from 12 ran out of nowhere, grabbed a pair of nun chucks, and wrapped them around 9's neck, and he pulled back, and repeatedly stabbed 9's neck until he was dead for sure. And then that was it. The initial bloodbath was over. Cato had almost died, and Lover Boy proved to be of some worth. Big stuff for only a half hour. And then the cannons started firing. **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **11 dead. I killed 4. Cato probably did 4, too. Whatever. I ran over to Cato and asked him under my breath, "Are you okay?" "Sure, I got a knife stuck in my shoulder, of COURSE I'm okay." he replied back in a whisper, dripping full of sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and walked over to Lover Boy. I wanted to intimidate him, but be...sweet. I pulled out the most jagged knife I had halfway while walking to him. His eyes were glazed with fear, his fingers with blood. He still had the knife in one hand, dripping red blood.

"Well, well, well." I said sweetly...almost _too_ sweetly. "I saw you over there, Lover Boy, killing 9, saving 2." I said, circling around him, moving my knife from one hand to another, my hands stained with blood. He kept his eyes on the knife the whole time.

"S-s-s-s-so?"he said. His voice was shaking. For a moment I felt bad. I mean, he SAVED my boyfriend, for Pete's sake! I sighed. I walked straight up to him. Our faces were almost touching.

"Thanks for saving my partner back there." I said normally. He looked into my eyes, shifting his gaze from the knife to my eyes. He shrugged. "I wouldn't let anyone die." he replied. I smiled. "You don't have to act all brave. I know you're scared." I put my hands on his shoulders. "Relax." I said. He put his head on my shoulder and sighed. "Look. I'm actually considering letting you come with us." I said. He looked back at me, his eyes were filled with surprise. "Would you want to?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled. "Good."

**Cato's POV (Hey guys...I;m not going to do this THAT often, but in this chapter it's going to happen a LOT. And not just with Cato. W/Peeta, Phoenix, Glimmer, Marvel, and maybe even Katniss...Well, you guys are spoiled...lol, Please R&R!)**

I saw the guy from 12 and Clove lean in closer. Clove put her hand on his shoulders, and he put his head on her shoulder. Something just snapped inside of me. It just...felt weird. But finally they broke off. The guy went to the Cornucopia and started taking down the stuff. Clove walked over to me. And that's when something just twinged in me. Not something like, jealousy, like a few minutes ago, but something...something wasn't right with Clove. I just couldn't put my mind on it. You know when you feel like you have some sort of this sixth sense? Well, yeah. That's what happened to me. It was like I was psychic or something. Anyways, she reached me and said that Lover Boy was joining us. That first feeling threatened to come back again, but I held it and said that was good. And then Marvel came out of nowhere and said we should start picking up the supplies from the Cornucopia. Stupid Marvel, trying to be the leader.

"No. They aren't going anywhere!" I added when Marvel had a confused look on his face. "First we should get our weapons out of the dead. You know, before the hovercraft comes?!" I asked. He still looked confused. I guess it's a District 1 thing. Clove started getting her knives out of the dead. I just started picking the swords out of the dead ones' hands and washing them off in the lake. Marvel started taking out his spears from the dead. And Phoenix pulled out a harpoon from one dead. Glimmer just sat there. I walked over to her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I yelled. "I have nothing to take from the dead." she replied simply, as if that explained everything. I was right. It is a thing in District 1.

"You didn't frickin' kill anybody?!" I asked, exasperated. She just shook her head. I saw a whole thing full of arrows strapped to her back and her bow was slung over her shoulder.

"Why not?! You have a BOW and ARROW! You can shoot long distance, like Clove!" I said. And then you know what she said?

"Oh, I use a crossbow, but since they didn't have any, I just went with these since they're similar. BUT I think they're broken or something, it's not going to the place where I want them." After that, I basically gave up. I just walked away. _Walk away, Cato. Walk away._

**Peeta's POV **_  
_

I picked up another knife. That girl from 2 is going to be REALLY happy. I sat down and thought for a moment. That girl. I never thought she possibly could be that nice. And I realized, I never found that spark with Katniss. Even when we were acting. I never did. I tried, but I never could. And then it just clicked inside of me. Something I could never ever have thought of before. I was in love with the girl from 2.

* * *

**Hey party people! LOL. Okay, people, DON'T WORRY, this is NOT turning into a Cleeva fanfic (Cleeva=Clove+Peeta). That's for another time...heeheehee. I just played around with y'all minds. But, warning. It WILL have lots of Cleeva in the next few chapters. But don't worry, it will remain Clato. Okay, so I just thought of this. Until I get 15 total reviews, FIFTEEN, I will not upload the next chapter. And if it's been a few weeks, and if some of you are DYING with the retraction of my stories, then just type the magic/safe word, chocolate, and I will update. Sorry for being mean, but it's that I have homework and stuff, and piano, and more. It's really hard to keep updating, but reviews are my fuel. It's like I'm a car. Reviews are my gas. So please help me out! 3, DramaBlaze.**


	9. Chapter 8: Click x2

_**I sat down and thought for a moment. That girl. I never thought she possibly could be that nice. And I realized, I never found that spark with Katniss. Even when we were acting. I never did. I tried, but I never could. And then it just clicked inside of me. Something I could never ever have thought of before. I was in love with the girl from 2.**_

* * *

**Clove's POV**

This is turning into a full-scale fight. Do you want to know what about? Who's going with who into the tents. Yep. Little ridiculous, right? First Glimmer said she wanted to be with Cato and I said that it was crazy and then she said that I was just saying that because I was jealous that Cato liked her instead of me. Ridiculous, huh? I'M THE ONE WHO'S HAVING HIS KID! I guess it's a District 1 thing. And then Cato said that wasn't possible because I would have to buddy up with Marvel or Lover Boy and that I wouldn't be able to sleep like that. Well…I could manage to stay alive with Lover B-…..*sigh* Peeta. For some reason I just found myself attracted to him. His dirty blonde hair, muscles, OMG his muscles! I saw him throw a medicine ball at the Training Center. And his eyes. His beautiful, dark brown eyes that just penetrate you and send a warm feeling through-…Wait a minute! What am I saying? Cato's yelling brought me back down to Earth.

"NO! If I'm with Phoenix, then Clove won't let Marvel stay with her and then who's going to buddy up with her, Lover Boy? And then what?" and yada, yada, ya. As long as I'm not stuck with District 1 or Phoenix, I'm good to go. Eventually we decided to make it by District. Glimmer with Marvel, Cato with me, and Peeta with Phoenix. Is it wrong that I felt a little jealous about that?

**Peeta's POV**

Is it wrong that I felt jealous that Cato got with that girl from 2? I mean, it's not that I don't like Phoenix, she's okay. But…it was just…disappointing. After that was all settled, 2 claimed the biggest tent. Nobody argued with that. Then we gathered all the stuff from the Cornucopia, and put it in a little pyramid. The best stuff in the pyramid (medicine, food, supplies, etc.) and little stuff around it (backpacks, water bottles, empty iodine bottle we used, etc.). I saw the girl from 2 and the guy from 2 pocket some stuff. Probably extra food or something for when we get separated. I pocketed some medicine and iodine. Phoenix pocketed an extra harpoon gun ammo pack. Glimmer pulled out a couple extra arrows. Marvel took some extra spearheads. Guess we all had secrets. Especially me.

**Clove's POV**

"So now we're going night hunting." Cato announced. All of us cheered. Except Peeta. I can understand. He's from 12. He's not used to the violence of the Victors. I opened up my jacket to make sure all of my knives were in there. Cato grabbed his favorite sword. Marvel strapped 3 spears to his back. Glimmer slung on her bow and arrow (not that she would kill anything with it) and Phoenix grabbed her harpoon gun. Peeta borrowed a hand knife from me and put a pair of nun chucks inside his jacket. I put on my night vision sunglasses and so did Cato. The others got pretty upset but we told them to get flashlights instead or something. So we took off. We walked into the deeper part of the forest and pretty soon, we saw smoke and a fire. Are you kidding me? A fire?! That's like setting off fireworks and screaming out loud, "HEY! COME AND GET ME!" in the Hunger Games. Wow. Cato saw it first, so he claimed it. As we crept closer, we saw the girl from 8 crouched down next to a fire, rubbing her hands. And then we walked out of the shadows. She gasped.

"Hiya." I said. Cato walked closer, brandishing his sword. "N-n-n-no! P-p-p-p-p-p-please…Don't kill me!" she sobbed. Cato smiled. "Too late." She stood up and ran backwards, but tripped over a tree root. , landing on her back. Cato took that moment to stick the knife in her chest. He pulled it out and we walked to the right, laughing. Glimmer was close to Cato, doing an impression of the girl. "Oh, no! PLEASE don't kill me! No!" she said in a desperate voice. Cato laughed as he said, "That's actually a pretty good impression." And then Marvel HAD to ruin Cato's 25% good impression on him by saying, "Wait, shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"

"We probably missed it. She's dead, though." Cato replied.

"How do you know?"

"I SAW where I stuck her. Right in the chest!"

"Then why haven't we heard a cannon?"

"We probably missed it!" Even though I could see Marvel's point, I took Cato's side, as well as Peeta. Glimmer and Phoenix sided with Marvel. After a few minutes of arguing, Peeta stepped forward and said, "Just stop! I'll go back and make sure she's dead. Just wait here." And with that, he took off. Glimmer whispered to Cato, "Why can't we just get rid of him yet?" "He's our best chance of finding her!" he answered. I remained silent. Peeta came back as our convo faded.

"Was she dead?" Marvel asked.

"No. But she is now." He replied. Sure enough, the cannon sounded. **BOOM**!

"Come on then. Let's go." Marvel took the lead. Two seconds later, he crashed into a tree. Cato snorted and took the lead once more. Glimmer stood beside Marvel, asking if he was okay, and that it was dark and nobody could blame him, blah, blah, blah. I just couldn't shake off the fact, that even if I sacrifice myself to win, that I would also do that for Peeta. And then it just clicked inside of me. Something I never ever could have thought of before. I was in love with the boy from 12.

* * *

**HOORAH FOR CLEEVA! LOL...Once again, don't worry. This is not becoming a Cleeva fanfic...PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU WANT ANOTHER SEPARATE STORY JUST FOR CLEEVA! LOL...I'm actually considering that. And should I do another one for Glimmer+Marvel? O.O I**'**m SO sorry...I got major writers' block on this, and everythign sounds cheesy and filler-ish. WORST CHAPTER EVER!... :( I promise next time will be better. And I just can't wait for Clove's death scene...how will Cato take it...or how will Peeta take it? O.O DUN DUN DUNNNN...but that's for another time. Okay...so by the time I get 20 reviews (I'm making this easy for ya guys...right now I have like...16-17) then I will update...SAFE WORD IS CANDY! Thanks! Keep reading, and keep reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 9: Fire

_**I just couldn't shake off the fact, that even if I sacrifice myself to win, that I would also do that for Peeta. And then it just clicked inside of me. Something I never ever could have thought of before. I was in love with the boy from 12.**_

* * *

**Clove's POV**

I couldn't fall asleep. I just couldn't. When I closed my eyes, I felt dizzy and it felt like I just stared into a burning light for an hour and tried to close my eyes. I just couldn't fall asleep. I tossed and turned around. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't fall asleep, but my Top Ten Reasons were these:

I was pregnant.

I was thinking about Peeta.

I was pregnant.

I was thinking about Peeta.

I was pregnant.

I was thinking about Peeta.

I was pregnant.

I was thinking about Peeta.

I was pregnant.

HEY WHADDAYA KNOW? I was thinking about Peeta.

Go on. Take your pick. I know, it's hard to choose between ALL of these MANY choices. But overall, I think it's either because I'm pregnant or I was thinking about Peeta. I just had that feeling. Ah well.

* * *

"WAKE UP!" I woke up to the sound of someone telling me to wake up. Wow. Never thought I'd say those 13 words in my whole life.(**And yes, I know that EVERY SINGLE one of you is now counting the words…LOL)** When I opened my eyes, I saw Cato crouched over me, nudging me while telling me to wake up.

"Whaddaya want, Cato?" I grumbled as I turned over.

"The others are asleep. This is the perfect time to go hunting." He replied.

"Really? I mean, really? Cato, it's like," I glanced at the sun. "6 in the morning!" I told him carefully, like I was talking to a kindergartener. "Exactly." Was all he said. And then he walked out. _I love you Cato, but sometimes, I swear you can be such an annoying person. _And then I heaved myself out of the bed.

The first thing I did was splash my face with some water from the lake. Then I tied up my hair, pulled in about 5 knives, and put on my jacket and my knife belt (which had like, 15 different knife0holding thingies. SA-WEET!) and I was good to go.

* * *

Cato took the lead. He was looking at the ground the whole time. I wonder was he was thinking about. Did he know I have a half-crush on Peeta? Anyway, I kept thinking of what he was thinking (Man, I have to stop it with my choice of words!) until we reached a cave that was 25% percent covered at the entrance, and it looked 100% intended. We shared a glance. Someone was in there. We went in. The crippled boy was lying there, sleeping. I nodded at Cato. I slid my knife in, then drew a little squiggle in his leg when he woke up, his eyes glaring.

"So you're giving us the silent treatment, huh?" I said. _Stupid boy. I'm going to make him break even harder. _I looked over at Cato. I could tell he was having the same thoughts. And that's when it turned into a battle.

"Whoever breaks him first gets first pick of dinner." I announced. He smiled.

"If you think I'm going to lose, my dear Clover, then you're wrong." **THWACK!** A knife flew past him and landed in the rock behind him, cutting off some hair with it.

"Never call me Clover." I snarled. And with that, he drew his sword and stabbed it in the boy's thigh. His eyes glazed with pain, and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. We took turns. After, I completely cut off his leg before I realized that was the crippled leg. _Dang. I just gave him a favor._ Then Cato took his arm. Then I raised my knife and stabbed it through his ear. Cato then cut off his other ear. I glanced at the boy. The light was fading from his eyes. _WAIT! NO! I HAVE TO BREAK YOU FIRST! _So, without thinking, I stabbed my knife clean through his cheek. The tip and an inch more showed up in his mouth and he finally screamed in agony and pain. I felt bad. I nodded at Cato as he nodded at me, the signal to end his misery. We raised our weapons.

"One…" I said.

"Two." He replied.

"Three!" we said it at the same time as I plunged my knife into his neck while Cato went for his heart. The light blacked out in the boy's eyes and the cannon fired instantly. I pulled my knife out and Cato drew out his sword.

We smiled.

"I won."

* * *

We were trudging home. Again, there was no communication. When we got there, 1, Phoenix, and Peeta were having a feast. They stopped in the middle when they saw us. My knife still dripping blood, Cato with his sword over his shoulder.

"We were just-" Marvel started. And then Cato ripped the bacon out of his mouth **(yeah, yeah. I know. Bacon. It was the only thing I could think of! If you guys can think of another thing, then please write it in a review, and then I'll edit it!) **and threw it into the distance.

"Who told you to eat? Who told you do have a feast without your own leader saying THAT YOU CAN?!" his voice grew louder.

"Well, I'm sorry that we were hungry and started to eat while you guys were probably having fun out there." Marvel retorted. _How much stupider can 1 get?_ And I was right. With a roar, Cato tackled Marvel. They rolled around as Marvel took out a spearhead and Cato took out his sword. Marvel rolled Cato over and sat on him as he whipped out the spearhead and stabbed Cato in the arm. That caused Cato to jerk his arm and he let go of the sword. Marvel took that moment to leap off of him and throw the sword off about 200 feet away to the left. Cato leaped up. "My sword. That was my favorite sword." He said. He started walking to go get it. As he passed by Marvel, he spit in his face. He kept on walking. He had reached the sword, picked it up, and brushed it off when all of a sudden, a wall of fire sprang up between us.

"CATO!" I screamed. I saw him. He was alive. And that's when it hit. A fireball came out of nowhere and hit the ground next to him. That ground must have been some roots because they caught on fire. And the fire crept up the tree. And Cato didn't notice. A branch fell, but Cato didn't notice. And then the whole tree started to fall over, fire engulfing the whole thing. That's when he noticed. But it was too late.

"CATO!" I screamed his name one more time as he whipped around to see the tree, and crashed down with the tree on top of him.

* * *

**Hiya everyone! OMG, I know I haven't updated in like, a BILLION years, but I had MAJOR writers' block and TONS of homework. Did this sound cheesy?I think it kinda did. I SWEAR next time it will be AWESOME, to make up for the last 2 chapters. ALTERNATE ENDING, GUYS! ALTERNATE ENDING! Think about that, and since Cato got smushed by a tree, you finish the puzzle. I'm kidding, he won't die.**

**So I got my FIRST EVER BAD REVIEW! I guess some people don't like my stories... :( But it's okay I guess. It tells me what I have to fix. So I'll update the story when I get around...30 reviews? Maybe 27? I have 21 right now (I'M LIKE SO PSYCHED I NEVER THOUGHT I'D REACH DOUBLE NUMBERS!), so maybe around thirty. JUST 9 REVIEWS! I know it sounds like a lot, and I'm sorry, but I have tons of work and I need a LOT to motivate me. So thanks for reading (as always), PLEASE REVIEW (as always), and HAVE A GREAT WEEKENDDDD!**


	11. Chapter 10: Breaktime

**_"CATO!" I screamed. I saw him. He was alive. And that's when it hit. A fireball came out of nowhere and hit the ground next to him. That ground must have been some roots because they caught on fire. And the fire crept up the tree. And Cato didn't notice. A branch fell, but Cato didn't notice. And then the whole tree started to fall over, fire engulfing the whole thing. That's when he noticed. But it was too late._**

**_"CATO!" I screamed his name one more time as he whipped around to see the tree, and crashed down… with the tree on top of him._**

* * *

****And that's when it ended.

The whole thing.

I stood there for a moment, paralyzed. And then it all hit me at once.

"CATO!" his name rang out through the forest. I was sobbing now.

"Say something! Are you alive? Hurt? S-s-…say something…" I sobbed. I crumpled to the floor. (I vaguely heard Marvel saying, "He's gone, move on. I declare myself leader. Blah, blah, blah. I'm so cool. Blah, blah, blah. And like, by the way, I'm super dumb." …okay, maybe those last few things from the first blah, blah, blah was just my mind…)

Silence. I ran into the ashes of the once-beautiful woods. I saw trees toppled over everywhere. Well, I just couldn't just lift up every single tree and ask myself, "_Is he in there?"_ So I naturally went for the biggest tree trunk, since the one that fell on him was fairly large. I walked around it, and I made a half turn when I found him. He was unconscious, and his right leg was pinned under the tree, and there were serious 3rd degree burn marks everywhere. First I ran over to our camp and grabbed a can of burn medicine. I dashed back and tried to wake him up. After 4 unsuccessful tries, I checked his heartbeat. It was very faint, but definitely there.

I sat there, crying my head off, not knowing what to do, as he still wouldn't wake up. Was he dying right in front of my eyes? I put my head between my legs, closing my eyes.

* * *

THUNK. I woke up to the sound of a… well… a thunk. I must have drifted off to sleep while waiting. Amazing that I'm still alive. Anyway, so I looked around, unzipping my jacket and pulling out a knife from one of my hundreds of pockets. To my surprise, all I found was a silver parachute. I ran over to it and tore it open. Inside, there was a little plastic bag, with around 5 or 6…sticks. No, I'm not kidding. They were about the width of a chopstick and were about 5 inches long, each. I picked one up. What am I supposed to do with these? I licked one, and it tasted GROSS. It was like…bitter herbs and smells, and… it hit me. They were smelling sticks. I ran over to Cato, picked up a fresh one, and snapped it in front of his nose. Even from a couple feet away (I backed up after I snapped it), I could feel the effects of the sticks. I focused on Cato's eyes and face. About 10 seconds passed. Suddenly, Cato's eyes fluttered open.

"Cato!" I exclaimed and ran over to him, tackling him in a hug. Cato winced.

"Oh my Capitol, I'm so sorry, really! I forgot about your burns and I just...I just…-" I broke down, sobbing, as Cato took me in.

"It's okay." We sat there, in an embrace, for what seemed like forever when I finally came to my senses.

"Oh! I forgot! Sit up, and tell me where it burns the most." Cato pointed to his elbow area, his ankle, and his stomach. His stomach was the worst. The flesh had melted away, well.. most of it, not all, but it looked so thin that it looked like you could touch it and feel his bone or something. For his stomach, I applied about 45% of the burn medicine and then wrapped it in a thin layer of gauze that I rubbed a bit more of burn ointment on. His elbow was a dark black and red color, which I was worried might have been infected. I rubbed a little bit of ointment on there, and rubbed a bit on his ankle. Together, we rolled Cato from under the tree, and I had to stop and gasp. His other leg's ankle area was seriously hurt, you could see the outline of the bone through the skin. I made a pathetic splint out of some nearby branches and some rope I always have with me. It was pathetic, but it was better than nothing. With the Pathetic Splint and me (mostly me), we slowly, but surely, made it back to camp.

"Cato, that was a seriously close call. I can't afford having another close call like that."

"It won't happen again."

"How do you know?" My voice suddenly grew louder, and I whipped around to face him. I sobbed and slightly yelled the next couple of things.

"How do you know? Did you 'know' that this would happen? Will you 'know' what might happen next? You don't, okay? How can you be so cocky sometimes?"

"Okay, alright, I'm sorry."

My voice grew quieter for this one. "Can't you understand I'm doing this because I care about you? Why can't you just at least TRY to be careful?"

"I am!"

"Really, Cato? Just walking into the woods with no weapons OR protection? Yelling whenever you get the chance? HUNTING AT PITCH-BLACK NIGHTTIME?"

"What's so bad about hunting at nighttime? What could happen?"

"It's the CAPITOL we're talking about, Cato! I know that you know as well that that fire was well planned by them for us. What's next? Freak animals? Rain that can strip you down to bones? You never know, Cato. You never know. And if you keep being like this, then what happens if you… one day… don't get lucky? I can't live under this much stress and pressure **(for certain reasons *cough* baby *cough*)**everyday . I...-I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it would be good for both of us if we took just a short break from our love-love relationship. We can be back on in about 2 days, when both of us have had time to cool off and think. But until then…I only want to be friends."

Cato blinked. He moistened his lips and stared at the ground. Finally, he looked up, his eyes stone hard, but softening once more.

"Okay."

* * *

**Hey everybody! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't updated in a HUGE while. I've been SUPER busy with like…8 different projects, and piano, and tutoring, and guitar, and etc. It's just been hectic, and recently I've been sick with a fever of 102.8 … But I'll be trying to update more often, and I hope nobody has grown out of my stories, and I still hope you'll enjoy and review! Thanks, StarShadow.**


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